


Meeting an Old Friend

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 05:45:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10735356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Blair bumps into an old friend





	Meeting an Old Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'delicious'

Meeting an Old Friend

by  Bluewolf

"Blair?"

The slightly hesitant voice sounded vaguely familiar, and Blair turned in response. He stared for a moment at the woman standing beside the car parked beside his in the supermarket parking lot. "Del?"

"I wasn't sure it was you," she said. "It's been... what, fifteen years? Sixteen?"

"Sixteen, I think," Blair said. "What happened? All Naomi ever said was that your family had moved away."

"Moved away? Well, I suppose that's as good a description as any. Dad's family came from Northern Ireland, and his grandparents - his mother's parents - still lived there; one of Dad's protests here ended up in someone getting killed. He told Mom he wasn't involved in whatever had killed the man, but he decided to go back to his roots before the pigs tracked him down, and took us all with him." She sighed. "Big mistake. He got involved with the Provisional IRA and ended up dead a couple of years later. By that time his grandfather had died and his grandmother was failing, and Mom felt she had to stay and look after her - there wasn't anyone else. After Nana died last year, Mom decided to come back to America. She got on well enough with the family, but they were Dad's relatives, not hers."

"What are you doing now?"

"Teaching seven-year-olds - I have a qualification from Ireland. What about you?"

Blair chuckled. "Well, I'm working for a PhD, but I'm also a teaching assistant at Rainier."

"That'll keep you busy. What's the subject of your PhD?"

"The police - " He grinned at the shock on her face. "I know, Naomi's not happy about it. I'm sort-of partnered with a detective while I study their work, and rent his spare room, so I'm actually living with him as well."

"Just what does the study involve?"

"Basically, how the detectives work, their inter-relationships... but I also help Jim with some of his investigative work. My actual subject is anthropology, and sometimes that helps me understand the whys of a crime... and that can help Jim understand the hows. We've got a very good solve rate."

Del shook her head. "That doesn't sound like something your Mom would approve of."

"Like I said, she's not exactly happy about it. You done your shopping, or just going in?"

"Just going in."

"So am I. Come on!"

They headed for the store, pausing to take carts then going towards the entrance.

As they went, she said, "I think I should tell you... I still spell my name with an e, but we just say 'Brown' now, not 'Brown-e'."

"Ah - like people who spell their names S-m-y-t-h-e but say 'Smith'."

"Yes."

"Hi, Chief."

Blair swung around again, to face the man just leaving the store. "Jim? I thought it was my turn to shop."

"Yes, but after you left this morning I discovered we needed one or two things not on your list and your phone is switched off, so I stopped off to get them on my way home."

"Ah. Jim, this is an old friend of mine - Del Browne. Haven't seen her since we were fourteen and her family moved to Ireland. Del, this is Jim Ellison, the cop I work with."

Jim grinned at her. "Hello, Del."

"Hello. Have to admit I was surprised when Blair told me he was working with... studying... the police. His mother was always very much into protests when we were kids. Well, so were my parents... I suppose he hit teenage rebellion and began to reject what his Mom was teaching him."

"Oh, he still believes a lot of what she taught him, but he's... " Jim hesitated, not sure of the most tactful way of saying it.

"I've lost a few illusions," Blair said. "From what you were saying earlier, I think you have, too?"

"Yes," Del said. "When Dad died, I learned to consider what was really important in my life... and some of the things my parents thought were important, I decided didn't matter to me. Anyway - nice meeting you, Jim, but I need to get on, get my shopping done."

As she turned away, Blair said, "You can always get in touch with me at Rainier, anthropology department, if you want to."

"Thanks - I might take you up on that." She moved on into the store.

"I'd better get what's on my list, too," Blair said. "See you at home."

***

Later - as Blair was putting the groceries away - Jim said, "She seemed nice."

"We got on pretty well when we were kids," Blair agreed. "But you know, back then I felt so sorry for her... "

"Why?"

"Like Naomi, her parents were hippies," Blair said. "I've always felt I was lucky with the name she gave me. I know a lot of people expect 'Blair' to be a girl - though in Britain it's totally a man's name - but she could have called me 'Rainbow' or 'West Wind' or something like that; at least 'Blair' is a proper name. But Del... I think I was the only one who ever called her 'Del'. The name her parents gave her... "

"Yes?"

"Her second name is spelled B-r-o-w-n-e, and back then her parents pronounced it 'Brownie'; and they gave her the name 'Delicious'."


End file.
